Stand By Me

Stand By Me

Blakemore Volume III

By Author Cora Blu

Copyright 2013

Copyright 2013 Cora Blu

This is a work of fiction. Names characters, places, brands, media, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

Acknowledgments

To all my readers who took the cliffhangers and smiled and cried and ranted to their ereaders or PCs. To all my readers that went through it again in Volume II but left emails that I was killing you, but you loved it and were anxiously awaiting Volume III. To the readers who made it to Volume III and left me so much love and enthusiasm, you make the obscene amount of coconut water I drink to write late into the night worth it all. I do this for you.

As always to my husband whom I’ve known since I was five, I love you. And my girls, I loved you before I knew you.

And to those special people that came my way when I needed you most, Kassanna, W Lynn Chantale, Kim and Taria Reed my cover artist that never refuses my emails and gets my vision every time. Thank you all so very much.

Sincerely, Cora Blu

Prologue

“Ta' mo chroi' istigh ionat. I need you to be strong Mo Ru'n.” Jonathan eased his left hand beneath the hospital sheet caressing their baby under the palm of his hand and ran his thumb back and forth over her navel. Kenya ran her right hand along his mouth tracing the line of his lips as he spoke, their foreheads pressed together under his warm breath. “Give me your left hand.” She wiggled her hand under his on her bare skin realizing what he did and fought the tears lining up to spill down her face. He looped his fourth finger around hers pressing the space where their wedding bands should be on their bare fingers over their child. “You hold everything I am under your heart, Mo ghra fior.”

She gulped against his mouth caressing her senses more than her flesh. “Ta' mo chroi' istigh ionat. I'll get you out, I promise.”

“No, Kenya, take care of our child tucked away beneath your heart. Let me handle this,” he said quieting her protests, flexing his fingers over her skin. “I shot those men to save your life. I'll answer for it.”

The hospital bed dipped when she leaned forward. “I love you Jonathan,” whispering close to his ear, “We, your child and wife, love you forever.”

“Don't cry, Pretty Lady.” He kissed her mouth soft and gentle before ducking his head beneath the covers and kissed her warm skin below her naval. The moment held a lifetime of promises. She would hold him to fulfilling everyone. Jonathan spoke against her stomach, “You're a Blakemore, made from love, friendship, and trust. You carry my blood and my love in your heart. Share it with your mother while I'm away. You two are my soul. I love you both.”

Kenya held the tears in best she could until his cologne was the only reminder that he'd been in the room. Jonathan was gone. She had to take the lead as the woman of Blakemore estate.

Chapter One

The world could have swallowed Kenya Blakemore whole, and it still wouldn't be as bad as what she witnessed over the last three hours. She'd watched police escort Jonathan, handcuffed out of her room taking him away from her, her child, and their world, but not from her heart. Knowing Jamie would contact their lawyer gave her a slant of solace that Jonathan would be out soon.

Hopefully, she thought.

Kenya blinked. The time for tears was over. The monitors beeped and clicked overhead reminding her of the life struggling inside her body, and she couldn't keep her mind off Seamus fighting for his life one floor down in intensive care. The doctor placed her on complete bed rest for two days, before she could even consider helping Jonathan get out of prison.

Reaching over to the side table she poured a cup of ice water, took a good drink, let her shoulders relax as the cool water soothed her throat, then set the pitcher and cup down.

She cupped the tiny swell of her belly under the sheet, taking a calming breath, said a low prayer, and tucked the scared emotion filled woman inside to the back of her mind. She had to put on not only her big girl panties but also her combat boots. She had to save her family.

Kenya picked up the note pad and hospital pen from the rolling tray beside her bed, began jotting down all the names of the people she needed to contact. She looked up when Julia came through the door with a fresh pitcher of ice water and a platter of food setting it on the rolling tray, sliding it over Kenya's lap.

“I know you're not hungry sweetie, but nurse Cratchett outside makes sense. Your bambino will take what it needs from your body regardless. You have to eat something.” Julia set her purse on the chair across from Kenya then propped a hip on the edge of the mattress and set down a few napkins on the tray beside her plate.

Julia reached out and held her hand as Kenya led her to her side. “You've been amazing through all this, by my side through everything.” Kenya paused. “I don't want you losing your job running back and forth. And please send me a text letting me know how much your plane ticket was when you get home and I'll reimburse you,” she offered as Julia waved her hand.

“Jamie gave me access to the Blakemore company plane to get me back in time for work Monday. I'll take a few days, make certain you two are stable, then get back to the States.”

Kenya wanted to razz her about them moving so fast, but her heart was breaking. “You and Jamie make a nice couple.” Lifting the warm lid on the plate, dividing her attention between her lunch and Julia grinning to herself, Kenya decided she wasn't hungry after all.

“Sweetie, I know this is not the time, but why were you keeping all that a secret?” Julia adjusted her bra straps as if the cups had shrunk all of a sudden.

What was she talking about? “Huh?”

“Jamie,” Julia accused, jutting out her chin rolling her eyes back, “That's not the same man you kept referring to as, Russian Czar back home.” Julia attracted gorgeous men simply by the sound of her voice alone, low and sultry. Kenya never felt the need to introduce her to a hottie, they'd find her eventually. “Chica, I expected an old hairy man with a mole bigger than his nose sitting guard on his face under his left eye. Not dark, dangerous, and delicious with freakishly long eyelashes.”

“I never said he was dog ugly. He carries himself very stately...reminding me of a Russian Czar.” Too much on her mind to be lighthearted, but Kenya knew Julia was trying to keep her stress down for the baby. “Sorry, Julia, I’ve been too busy to notice my husband’s hot cousin roaming the grounds,” she informed distractedly.

“Honey, I'm sorry. I was just caught off by his deliciousness. He's not married is he?” Kenya gave her an acid stare because her eyes began to burn. Julia held a hand up. “Okay, I'll stop. It's just I came all the way to Ireland, find a crazy sexy guy, and he might be a gangster.” Julia shook her head. “Tell me what you need help with so we can get your man out of prison? How deep into the crime world are we talking?”

Good question. Kenya had no idea what or how deep into the abyss her life had slipped, and the time to figure it out left days ago. She'd treat this as a job with a tighter deadline and the reward was seeing her man walking free tomorrow.

Kenya held her notepad up for Julia to see. “I have to get these people to come down here to the hospital. Every person that's had any positive contact with Jonathan and Jamie, I want a signed character testimony from each so we can present to the magistrate. Brian has enough circumstantial dirt on Jonathan and me for that matter to make him appear the bad guy and me an accomplice.”

Right then a knock sounded as the door was pushed open and Sophie, Calder, Fiona, and Randall filed in looking tired and drained. Kenya didn't miss Calder's hands massaging Sophie’s shoulders and the gentle glow on her face.

Sophie's eyes were tired as she crossed the space to Kenya's side to place a hand over the tiny bump under the sheet. “How are ye and the bairn feeling? She asked, dropping a quick kiss on top of the sheet saying something in Gaelic.

“We're both good, lying here listening to the monitor beep.” Kenya touched Sophie's hand on her stomach. “How's Seamus...?” she asked praying for good news.

Sophie feathered a hand through her thick hair pulling it behind her ears. “The doctor's stabilized him, but he has nae come out of the coma. Gretchen's in with him, so I asked the doctor to give her a mild sedative. This is tearing her apart. Three generations of Blakemore men were trying to kill one another. Says she will no leave her husband.”

“Then it's good he gave her something to relax her. Blood pressure spiking at her age can be bad,” Kenya agreed, reading down the names on her note pad. “I don't wanna belittle her and Seamus's situation, but we're running out of time with Brian and I'm gonna need everyone’s help to get Jonathan out of prison.” Kenya caught the room up on everything she's been telling Julia.

Julia pulled out her cell. “Do you have the numbers so I can start contacting some of the people for you? You need to chill out and rest.”

“Julia...my husband is in prison. I can't just idly sit here while my mind feeds me three D mug shots of some freakazoid plotting to visit Jonathan's cell in the middle of the night.”

“Kenya I doubt Jonathan will be playing bottom to anybody.”

“Doona worry, Kenya,” Fiona started and Kenya sat up straight on the bed. “Ye have nae seen me cousin’s dark side. He's not the same man.”

Kenya eyed the room and got serious. “People don't change. We only see what we can handle until we’re ready for the full picture. I saw the full picture, just wasn’t strong enough to peel back all the brown paper.”

Sophie came over to her bed lifting the tape easing from the monitor reporting the baby's heart-beat. She smiled. “You've seen his dark side, then lass and yer have no run into the night screaming? I knew I loved ye for a reason.”

“Surprised, Sophie? Jonathan doesn't hide who he is around me. I saw the dark side of my husband pulling the trigger on that gun. And I saw how little it took for him to do it when he thought they'd hurt us.” She palmed her belly. “That's the dark side everyone should be aware of, not what he's willing to say, but what he's willing to die for. His own self-imposed set of standards is what drives him.” She crossed her legs under the sheets. “Jonathan's about honor and respect and family, and I'm about getting my husband back, dark side, light side it doesn't matter 'cause I love all his sides.” Everyone shot a surprised stare on her and she shrugged. “My child will not grow up not knowing its father.”

Julia tugged off her earrings, tucking them in her pockets giving Kenya serious eyes. What’s next, were the heels coming off too? Was it street fight time? “Alright riding dirty or my gangster queen, let's do this.”

Those terms gave Kenya lockjaw thinking her father lived that life at one point and the violence was hideous from what he told her. Her family hasn't gone down that road since she was a little girl and she wasn't dragging her father back into his past. “This is serious, Julia, and stop talking gangster. This isn't Heat and you're not Al Pacino.”

Julia grabbed her long hair twisting the length into a French knot at the back of her head. Her words came out thick with emotion. “It's what I do when my best friend is ready to go to the mat for her man, and I have so much love and respect for you two I'm afraid I'll go to the mat with you.” Julia kissed Kenya's cheek. “What else do you need me to do?”

Kenya stared at the woman that was more like a sister than a friend. Taking a breath she said on exhale, “Thank you,” holding Julia's hand, she continued, “I'll admit normal families don't handle disputes this way.” This reminded Kenya of the stories her father would tell her when she was a teenager. Heads of the black families were close and handled things without involving the police. She hadn't been born when most of it happened, but they'd carried rifles in the trunk or under the seat in the back of the station wagons. Lord she was married to the Irish version of Shaft. What's next? She wouldn't be surprised if Isaac Hayes showed up to deliver her baby.

“Kenya, on most matters our family's no different than any others.” Sophie's words shook Kenya from her thoughts.

Sophie sat at the bottom of the bed resting her elbow on the footrest; red tresses spilling around her shoulders.

“Let me clarify for a better understanding. Brian's been this way all his life. It's exactly why I dinna care to marry him. He's a wanna be a bad guy.” Looking down at the vacant spot where Brian's wedding ring she have been and Sophie grinned knowing her story can finally be told. “Our families were the only ones on the West end for so long it gave Brian a sense of superiority. He wore black suits to high school. He had kids following him around because he was inheriting a castle, so he thought.” She sat quiet as if in deep thought then continued, “Seamus, Calder here, Jonathan, Jamie, and Fiona have struggled to keep a certain level of respect associated with the Blakemore and McGhee name and make the Inn a place where people want to visit.”